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Managing Extensions in scode

This guide explains how to manage Visual Studio Code extensions in server-based VSCode environments launched with scode. Extensions are critical for productivity, and there are multiple ways to install them depending on your workflow.

Option 1: Install Extensions via the VSCode Web UI

This is the recommended method for installing a few extensions manually. If a large number of extensions are needed, consider using Option 2 and Option 3.

Step 1: Download the Extension (.vsix)

Method A: From local VSCode

  1. Open VSCode on your local machine
  2. [Optional] Connect to the Midway cluster via SSH
  3. Go to the Extensions Panel (left sidebar)
  4. Search for the desired extension (e.g., Python, Jupyter)
  5. Right-click the extension and select "Download VSIX" to save the .vsix file locally.

Download VSIX

Method B: From the VSCode Server Web UI

  1. Open your VSCode Web UI in the browser
  2. Go to the Extensions Panel
  3. Search for the desired extension
  4. Click the Install. VSCode will complain that an internet error prevented a successful installation.
  5. Click the "Try Downloading Manually..." link to download the .vsix file to your local machine.

Download VSIX from Web UI

Step 2: Transfer the Extension to the Server

If you downloaded the .vsix file to your local machine, you will need to transfer it to the Midway cluster:

Method A: Drag and drop the local .vsix file to the VSCode UI. Method B: Use scp to copy the file to the cluster.

scp path/to/vsix/file <yourusername>@<midway_ssh_host>:~

Step 3: Install from VSIX

  1. Open your VSCode Web UI in the browser
  2. Go to the Extensions Panel (left sidebar)
  3. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the panel
  4. Choose "Install from VSIX", and select the file from your home directory

Install from VSIX

Option 2: Install Extensions via CLI

If you are automating setup or managing multiple environments, you can use the scode CLI:

scode ext install ms-python.python ms-toolsai.jupyter

You can use the --env option to specify the environment name (e.g., default).

To list environments or identify the current environment: 

scode list

Option 3: Porting Extensions from an Existing VSCode Installation

If you have a local setup with useful extensions, you can export and re-import them in the server environment.

Step 1: Export locally

On your local machine: 

code --list-extensions > extensions.txt

An example extensions.txt file might look like this: 

ms-python.python
ms-toolsai.jupyter
ms-vscode.cpptools
...

If you are using VSCode Insiders: 

code-insiders --list-extensions > extensions.txt

If you need specific versions of extensions, you can modify the file to include version numbers like this: 

code --list-extensions --show-versions > extensions.txt

Step 2: Upload to the cluster

You can manually copy the contents of extensions.txt to the Midway cluster, or use scp:

scp extensions.txt yourusername@midway3.rcc.uchicago.edu:~

Step 3: Bulk install in server environment

scode ext install -f extensions.txt

This command installs all extensions listed in the file.

Additional Commands

List installed extensions

scode ext list

Update all extensions

scode ext update

Uninstall extensions

scode ext uninstall ms-python.python ms-toolsai.jupyter

Notes

  • Always confirm you are working in the correct environment, use --env option if you wish to interact with a specific environment.
  • If you are serving a non-latest version of VSCode by specifying --version with serve-web, you may need to specify a matching --cli-version when running scode ext install to ensure extension compatibility. It is recommended to always use the latest version of VSCode Server unless needed.
  • For more help, run scode ext --help.